Crosspoint Church v. Makin
In Crosspoint Church v. Makin, Crosspoint Church, which operates Bangor Christian Schools in Maine, sought to participate in the state’s tuition assistance program while maintaining policies that take into account religion, sexual orientation, and gender identity. The church argued that adhering to Maine’s anti-discrimination laws would infringe upon its religious beliefs and violate its First Amendment rights. A federal district court denied Crosspoint’s request for a preliminary injunction. The case is currently under appeal in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit. Read the full court case.
Catholic Charities Bureau, Inc. v. Wisconsin Labor & Industry Review Commission
In Catholic Charities Bureau, Inc. v. Wisconsin Labor & Industry Review Commission, the Catholic Charities Bureau (CCB) sought a religious exemption from Wisconsin’s unemployment insurance program, aiming to join the Wisconsin Bishops’ Church Unemployment Pay Program instead. The Wisconsin Supreme Court denied this request, ruling that CCB’s activities, while motivated by Catholic teachings, were primarily charitable and secular, not religious, because they serve people of all faiths and do not use their services to proselytize. CCB contends that this decision infringes upon First Amendment rights by improperly assessing the religiosity of its operations. The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear the case during its 2024-2025 term. Read the full court case.
David O’Connell v. United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
In David O’Connell v. United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), plaintiff David O’Connell alleges that in their solicitations at Sunday mass, Catholic priests misrepresented the allocation of donations collected through the Peter’s Pence fund, a church-run charitable campaign. The dispute revolves around differing interpretations of Catholic teachings. The USCCB filed a motion to dismiss the case, invoking the church-autonomy doctrine, which protects religious organizations from governmental interference in internal affairs. In November 2023, the district court denied this motion, prompting the USCCB to appeal the decision. The case is currently under review by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Read the full court case.
Mahmoud v. Taylor
In Mahmoud v. Taylor, a group of Maryland parents, including Tamer Mahmoud, sued the Montgomery County Board of Education, challenging the inclusion of LGBTQ-themed storybooks in the preschool, kindergarten and elementary school language arts curriculum without prior parental notification or the option to opt out. Schools have long offered parental notification and an opt-out option in the case of sex education classes, as required under Maryland state law. In this case the offending material was classified as language arts rather than sex education. The school initially offered parents an opt-out option, but discontinued the practice when the volume of opt-out requests increased. The parents argued that this policy violated their First Amendment rights by compelling their children to participate in inappropriate instruction on gender and sexuality against their religious convictions. Lower courts denied the parents’ requests for a preliminary injunction, leading them to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. In January 2025, the Supreme Court agreed to hear the case, which will address whether public schools burden parents’ religious exercise by mandating such participation without notice or opt-out provisions. Read the full court case.